Sponsorship

Trig associates

Trig AerobaticTeam

Trig Aerobatic Team

Trig is delighted to sponsor the Trig Aerobatic Team. We hope that the team will inspire you to take to the skies, to discover how exciting learning to fly can be.

The team’s display brings vintage glamour and dynamic close formation flying to the skies. Team leader Richard Grace and Dave Puleston operate two Pitts Special S-1D biplanes. These aircraft were designed in the 1940’s but remain popular due to their high power and low weight ratio. Richard explains:

“the rate of roll and general manoeuvrability of the Pitts makes it a great display aircraft. With a top speed of only 200 mph this allows us to fly a tight, compact display where the action really takes place right in front of the crowd line”.

Richard and Dave showcase our avionics which are flown, quite literally at the limits of performance. The team is known for their extreme close formation flying, their aircraft often flying only 5 feet apart! High g manoeuvres subject Richard and Dave to gravitational or ‘g forces’ of up to +6 g and -4g. Precision flight under such conditions underlines the extreme skill and professionalism of both pilots.

Richard said, “We are really excited to have the support of Trig Avionics who recognise the value of general aviation and are passionate about flying”, “Our aircraft are particularly significant, private pilots can learn aerobatics in a Pitts aircraft, so the Trig Aerobatic Team will act as a genuine inspiration to others to take to the skies”.

The Team

Richard Grace - Team Leader

Team leader Richard Grace is the son of famous display pilots Carolyn and Nick Grace. Their efforts to return to flying condition Spitfire ML407 saw the transformation of a bare shell into one of the most admired UK Spitfire restorations, now well established and displayed on the European air show scene.

“I grew up around aircraft and my parent’s enthusiasm and dedication in bringing the family Spitfire ML407 back to flying condition was a huge influence on me.”

“As a teenager I volunteered at the Fighter Collection in Duxford, helping maintain ML407 so a career as an aircraft engineer was a natural progression”. A qualified engineer at 18 and pilot at 19, Richard started display flying in his early twenties. He now not only leads the Trig Aerobatic Team but also displays Spitfire ML407.

Dave Puleston

For Dave Puleston a flight in a glider at the age of 14 was the start of his flying career. Like Richard, Dave spent his teenage years helping fix and maintain aircraft at his local flying club, and flying whenever the opportunity arose. As a result Dave had a pilot’s licence before he could legally drive a car and built his aerobatic skills under the expert instruction of members of the Moscow Aerobatic Team flying the Yak-52.

“Richard and I both continue to hone our flying skills, we analyse our performance after every single display. The great thing about aerobatic and display flying is that you never stop learning and that’s what makes it so rewarding.”

Dave, like Richard is a qualified aircraft engineer. He has flown more than 60 types of light aeroplane and gliders, mostly vintage or aerobatic and has held a CAA display authorisation since 2000.

Richard and Dave have a huge experience of vintage aircraft. Together they restore and fly some of the most rare and historic aircraft in existence today.